Steve Should've Read the File
by anxious.soul
Summary: Steve should've read Tony's file. Had he done so, they wouldn't have ended up captured by a madman. Had he read the file, Tony wouldn't be suffering with panic attacks. Nor would he have been triggered into said panic attack and frozen state. (Inspired by a prompt).


**Inspired by prompt from tumblr user tonystarkismyprompt :**

 **'Steve should've read the file.**  
 **Then at least he would've known… would've seen that Tony Stark was a bundle of insecurities wrapped in an enigma followed closely by a convenient distraction. It was just… too painful to do so.**  
 **He'd read the files of all the others; as team captain it was his duty to know about any and all things that could potentially compromise the mission. And he did. All except for one. He'd tried, he really had, but he couldn't get past the name Stark without the painful memories bombarding him. He'd figured it would be okay to skip. After all, Stark's defects were pretty obvious.**  
 **And now, because of that one mistake, the mission was compromised.**

 **(Or Steve doesn't read Tony's file full of all his potential triggers and Tony ends up getting hurt because of it.)'** **Warnings: Broken bones, Metal straight through the body, and Steve and Clint are a-holes to begin with.**

 **Warnings: Aquaphobia, Panic Attacks, PTSD, Swearing**

 **Disclaimer: It should be obvious that I don't own Marvel or the Avengers and personally, it's a bit silly that I have to mention this...**

 **Crossposted on my AO3, which is anxious_soul**

* * *

Steve should've read the file.

He should've read the goddamned file.

Tony was part of the team. Steve was the team leader. It was his _duty_ to read all of the files of his team members. That way he knew to avoid certain things that could potentially compromise missions. And he did. He read Natasha's file, Clint's too along with Bruce's and the rather short file that belonged to their resident god, Thor. But he didn't read Tony's. He barely managed to read a page before the whole shindig with Loki started, but he could've read it after all that. Yet he _didn't_.

Steve should've read the file. Then the mission wouldn't have gone so terribly wrong…and the team wouldn't be in a dark cave-like cell.

 _Steve should've read the fucking file._

 **—LINE BREAK—**

About five hours ago the Avengers had been called in for a mission. Some normal mortal had found some not so normal sceptre and used it to terrorise the city…or rather he wanted to fight the Avengers and had called them with a time and a place. The team of six stood in a container port in New York, a tall cloaked man stood before them with a long sceptre that had a glowing green stone at the top wrapped in a silver claw. The staff itself seemed like a weapon as well as a magical stick, it had sharp edges to it that could easily cut someone's throat.

"Avengers! I am glad you could join me, the Great Omen. Once I defeat you. I will reign over New York." He gave the typical villain cackle and with a wave of the sceptre, creatures began to appear. Large, vicious, _mythical_ creatures.

"Everyone get into positions," Steve ordered and the fight began.

Captain America was struggling against a nine-foot Ogre, Natasha was off in the distance running along the containers to help Clint out, who was struggling against a few Demonic Hounds. Thor along with the Hulk were battling a Hydra (ironic and funny that Steve wasn't fighting it)…truthfully, it looked like the pair could handle everything. Then there was Tony, who was being leered at by a…woman.

"Man of Iron, she is not a mere woman-" He could hear Thor shouting in pain as he was smacked away from the Hydra, "she's a Succubus-"

"Darling, I've long since forgone my playboy days."

"Come now, _beautiful_ , won't you _play_ with me?" She fluttered her eyes and Tony could see why people would fall for such a being, she was very beautiful and flirtatious. Tony smirked and opened the faceplate of his suit, giving her the illusion that he'd fall for her. As he stepped closer, he shot a repulser beam through her stomach and she shrieked before disintegrating.

"Well, that was easy. I take it none of you believed I wouldn't fuck her?" Really he only said it because Steve was looking shocked, but best not to focus on one,

"Good job, Iron Man. Go help Black Widow and Hawkeye." And he did, only as he helped the kill the first Demon-Hound another appeared…much like the Hydra myths -which wasn't working as Thor and the Hulk weren't chopping the creatures heads off- another monster appeared in the water.

"Iron Man. Go take care of the sea creature."

"Bit busy, Cap."

"They can handle the Hounds. Get over to the water, now." Begrudgingly, Tony did as asked. JARVIS warned him about a minor hole in the suit -apparently, Demon-Hounds have teeth that can cut through metal…who knew?

 **—LINE BREAK—**

As Tony made his way to the ocean, his eyes widened. It was a Kraken.

"Yay…" He muttered in annoyance and set to attacking it. Nothing seemed to work and he found himself being whacked away and also wrapped up in its tentacles. "J, you got any ideas?"

"Sir…you tinkered with this suit a few days ago and put a small missile in it."

"Perfect! Thanks, JARVIS, you're the best."

"I know," Tony smirked at his son's AI's sass and began to look for a spot to put the missile in.

"We're going to have to head back to shore. I need it to be swimming and trying to grab me. Can probably get the missile in it's mouth then." Thus starting the chase back to land as Tony had been chased away from the shore at the beginning of the fight. He found his opportunity as the port came closer. He moved as far away as he could once the creature had swallowed the missile, but it wasn't enough. The blast sent him flying back a bit as chunks of Kraken flew into him.

"Sir. There's a large problem. The suit is shutting down. I am going to have to eject you into the water."

"What?" Tony exclaimed in horror, "No no no."

"Sir. If you remain in the suit, it will plummet into the water and you…you will drown due to the cracks and holes on the exterior. I am truly sorry sir." Tony took a deep breath.

"Alright. It's not your fault, J. I'll be fine."

"I will eject you in 3…2…1." Tony took a deep breath as he landed in the murky water and hastily set to swimming to shore. Panic settled in his chest as he reached the port and tried to heave himself up. He was blindly reaching up as a panic attack crashed over him. He curled up in a ball on the cold ground. His heart was trying to escape from his chest as his breathing quickened.

"What's this? Is Mr Tony Stark afraid of a bit of water?" Tony didn't respond as the villain snuck up and taunted him, "How about another little dip?" The man tossed Tony back into the water where he began to drown. He splashed about. Half in a panic attack and half away of the situation. "Hmm, I could use him as leverage and then I could have _all_ of the Avengers." The madman murmured to himself, "I could have a collection of Avengers! Ooh, the joy!" With a sweep of the staff, he used it to pull Tony out of the water and dumped him on the port, where the man was heaving. "Come now, let's take you prisoner." He grasped the collar of the man's t-shirt and began to pull him along. Tony was sheet white and shivering. His breathing was uneven and his eyes were glassy. He was lost in his own mind as memories of torture and suffering consumed him. The man who called himself the 'Great Omen', hoisted Tony up and held him to his chest as a shield as he pressed the sceptre to Tony's throat. The others froze and appeared confused at the frozen man.

"Avengers I have your teammate and I demand you submit before me!" He exclaimed with a manic grin, what the team didn't realise was he was merely distracting them and messing around before moving the sceptre and slamming it into the ground. The Avengers except for Tony all fell to the ground as they were knocked unconscious. The Hulk changed back to Bruce as he lay on the ground. "Yay!" Squealed the villain as he used the sceptre to teleport everyone to his base where he dumped them in a cell. Waving the staff once more, chains of different sizes appeared and tied the six of them up. He produced a sedative and stabbed it into Bruce, to ensure that he'd be too out of it to Hulk out. Patting an unresponsive Tony on the head, he skipped out of the room with a laugh.

 **—LINE BREAK—**

Trapped in his mind, Tony sobbed and screamed. Begging to escape the gruesome and traumatic memories that attacked him from the left, from the right, from above and from below. He couldn't think straight. He could see the disaster that was his kidnapping by the Ten Rings. He watched and relived as he was waterboarded and consequently electrocuted by the very thing keeping him alive. But his torment didn't stop there. He watched as Obadiah, a man who was practically his uncle/father, ripped his heart out in the form of the arc reactor and mocked him. Speaking gently despite the cruel words and gleam in his eyes. More and more pain came his way. The Palladium poisoning and his foolish mistakes. Being thrown out of the window by a _God_ and then…then going through a wormhole and sending a nuke to the army he could see. All his nightmares clashed as one as he screamed for freedom. Willed his mind to break away from his suffering. Nothing worked. He was frozen as his mind acted like a DVD on repeat.

Afghanistan. Waterboarding. Electrocution. Obadiah. Arc Reactor. Poisoning. Pain. Near Death. Falling Suit-less. Nuke. Wormhole. Falling in Suit. Falling. Falling… Afghanistan. Waterboarding. Electrocution. Obadiah. Arc Reactor. Poisoning. Pain. Near Death. Falling Suit-less. Nuke. Wormhole. Falling in Suit. Falling. Falling… _Afghanistan. Waterboarding. Electrocution. Obadiah. Arc Reactor. Poisoning. Pain. Near Death. Falling Suit-less. Nuke. Wormhole. Falling in Suit. Falling. Falling… Afghanistan. Waterboarding. Electrocution. Obadiah. Arc Reactor. Poisoning. Pain. Near Death. Falling Suit-less. Nuke. Wormhole. Falling in Suit. Falling. Falling._

 **—LINE BREAK—**

Natasha and Clint were the first to wake up and immediately took in their surroundings. Between the two of them was an unresponsive Tony, who had his foot chained to the floor. The two spies noted that both of their feet had chains around them, but the foolish villain hadn't thought to tie their arms down. On the opposite wall, Steve and Thor were more heavily tied up. Not only were their chains thicker and larger, but they were also keeping both feet down and were around the strong men's wrists too. Then there was Bruce, who had a simple chain on his foot like Tony and the spies assumed the villain had given the man a sedative or something like that.

"What happened?" They heard Steve murmur,

"We were captured, obviously," Clint muttered as he and Natasha tried to bring Tony out of his catatonic state, which Steve either didn't see or blatantly ignored as seconds later he was ripping the shivering man a new one.

"What the hell, Stark!" He bellowed, shocking Thor awake, "You managed to get us kidnapped because you can't do anything right! What on Earth possessed you to take your suit off? Do you not realise how weak you are without it on?"

"Steve I suggest you shut the fuck up before Nat strangles you with the chains," Clint growled causing the blond to flinch backwards in surprise,

"Captain…why did you send Anthony over to the water beast?"

"He's the only one that can fly baring you and you were busy," Steve answered Thor,

"But even so. You should've asked me and Anthony to switch beasts."

"Why? What's the big problem? It's just water." Steve looked so very confused,

"You…you don't know?" Natasha asked with a tilt of her head before everyone's eyes turned to Tony, who seemed to have snapped out of his unresponsive state only to become uncontrollable and unknowingly violent. His limbs smacked both spies multiple times as Tony yelled and screamed incoherently. His chained foot began to bleed slightly as it the metal dug into his leg from Tony's actions. "Ssh котенок." Nat murmured quietly into the shaking man's ears once she and Clint had gently restrained his arms and legs. Tony's glassy eyes seemed to clear as his brown orbs recognised Natasha's emerald ones and slowly he fell into an exhausted but peaceful sleep in the arms of the most dangerous woman there is. Clint released Tony's arms from the archers restraining grip and rested one of his hands on Tony's leg, where he drew comforting circles with his fingers.

 **—LINE BREAK—**

He had been falling. A voice. A shout echoed through his head. Steve? Natasha? Clint? Thor? "Somebody please help me!" He shouted but no one could hear as he was trapped in his head. Something was there. A gap. A thing to reach through and be free of this reoccurring torture. He followed the light and came out of his mind but that wasn't to say he was all _there_. He felt his limbs move wildly. He couldn't stop them. There was a pain on his foot. But he didn't care as his eyes met green ones. His brown eyes drifted shut to the comforting arms around him. A gentle comfort rested on his legs as he faded into an exhausted sleep, completely unaware of his surroundings.

 **—LINE BREAK—**

"Captain, you have read everyone's files, right?" Thor asked as he shifted into a somewhat less uncomfortable position and turned to the man beside him.

"I…"

"I've seen you reading through them so how could you not have picked up on Tony's triggers?" Natasha asked, confusion evident in her tone, Steve looked down at his lap with red cheeks.

"I…I didn't…I never finished going through them all when we were dealing with Loki. But then when we started living at the tower, I began to read through everyone's files…I just couldn't ever make it through the first page of Tony's. I just read that he was a selfish, arrogant and vain playboy and didn't think I needed to know anymore. It…it also hurt to read because of Howard and the fact that Tony's everything I'm not when it comes to technology." Steve admitted refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

"You fucking dickhead." Clint growled, "You know all of our triggers and histories, but you didn't think to read about Tony's? So fucking what you have problems with the man, you've caused him to go into this state of mind!"

"Yes, I get it. I made a stupid mistake. Now can someone tell me what's wrong with _him?_ " Steve shouted in annoyance,

"Anthony was captured four Midgardian years ago. According to the file and Bruce's helpful explanations, it appears that he was…waterboarded?" Thor looked at Clint to see if he'd said the right word and the archer nodded, "There was also some electrocution due to…the technology keeping him alive."

"In other words, Tony has Aquaphobia." Natasha murmured and took glee in the grief and horror that etched itself onto Steve's pale face, she knew she shouldn't have said anything else, but by this point, she was too…angry at Steve to care about his feelings,

"And you sent a man with obvious PTSD and countless other issues to face one of his fears without any care…or knowledge I suppose…of your actions."

"Oh god…I didn't…I'm so…"

"And by the way, the one thing you actually read from Tony's file was his facade to the public. Had you tried to get to know him and actually see the real him, you'd know that Tony's really just a sweet, shy, generous and incredible man." Natasha added

"Tis true! Anthony has many a time come to me and asked questions about my home and has been shy yet the curiosity is blatant and rather adorable."

"Yeah and I remember the first time he came to me with a new set of arrows and a new bow and when I said 'thank you', he was really surprised. It makes me pretty angry that people just take from him and are never grateful." Natasha nodded along to Clint's words as she remembered something similar.

Natasha, Clint, Steve and Thor sat in silence. There eyes drifting from Tony to Bruce and then to nothing as they got lost in their thoughts. Each thinking over everything that had happened and trying to plan an escape.

 **—LINE BREAK—**

Unbeknownst to the conscious Avengers (plus Tony) and their most recent villain, Bruce was…to a degree...awake. The sedative wasn't as effective as the 'Great Omen' had hoped. Though it was more that he could hear everything going on around him as his body was…still asleep or perhaps temporarily paralysed. However, upon hearing everything going on around him, he found himself growing furious at both Steve and their villain. But as much as the Hulk was trying to break free, he found himself struggling for quite sometime before he successfully overcame the drug. Large, green and furious, the Hulk smashed through the walls of their cell and punched their villain into a wall where he was now stuck in it and unconscious. Seconds later, SHIELD came storming in. The team was rescued and the Hulk, who refused to let Banner back, held Tony gently in his arms as though the sleeping man was a baby.

 **—LINE BREAK—**

The team were sent straight home after their rescue. Coulson (who was very much alive) had told Fury to let them debrief another time. That night whilst everyone was sleeping -though most of the team kept getting up to check on Tony or sit by his bed to chase the nightmares away from the man- Steve sat on the couch on his floors living room. Before him was a pile of five folders -each varying in different sizes- on the coffee table and in his lap, sat the largest folder out of the bunch. It was Tony Stark's. He opened the page and focused wholeheartedly on the reading. He learned about his drug and alcohol problems that transpired due to his parents' sudden death, leaving him orphaned at such a young age. He learned about the many kidnappings he had faced during his youth and then the infamous 2008 kidnapping. He felt sick as he read about the waterboarding and subsequent electrocution. How he was operated on _without_ pain relief and whilst being _awake_. How he'd created the Mark I along with the very first miniaturised arc reactor whilst he was in a _cave_! Of Obadiah's involvement and all the other things that followed on. He even learned that Tony had reoccurring nightmares from the wormhole and terrible PTSD which he'd never sought to get help for. He learned that beneath his many masks, Tony was just a generous man who had been used and abused too much, yet he still stood strong beneath the weight of the world.

 **—LINE BREAK—**

When he made it to the meeting the next day with bags under his eyes and messy blond hair from not sleeping. He strode over to Fury after everyone finished debriefing -the group had also learned why Tony had left the suit.

"I would like to resign from being the Captain of this team. Someone else should take the position as I am clearly unfit for it." Everyone was surprised by Steve's sudden statement,

"Don't be ridiculous, Steve." Surprisingly it came from Tony, who had been quite quiet and meek during the whole debriefing, only speaking when needed and not screwing around like he normally did, "What are we supposed to call you then? America? That's a bit of a shit name for you. It would just be: 'Oi, America to your left! Or something. At least with Captain in front of it, it doesn't make you sound too ridiculous." Tony took the sunglasses he'd been wearing off and everyone caught a glimpse of the bags beneath them and the redness, "Besides, who else is boring and sensible enough to lead the group? Thor? Yeah no -no offence man, but at least the Cap understands that we're fragile beings." Thor looked considerate at Tony's words and ended up nodding slowly. "Clint? Shit wouldn't get done and we'd probably get killed." The archer looked both offended and amused, "Bruce as sensible as he is can't really give orders as the Hulk as it would probably just be 'smash'." Tony's science bro nodded with a small laugh, "Natasha as terrifying as she is would get us to do the work but I doubt she'd really want to be the leader." The redhead nodded at this. "Of course, there's me and as awesome a leader I would be, it sounds like too much work, so no thanks."

"But I…I messed up so badly. I triggered your…you know and thus I'm the reason we all got captured."

"I won't deny that you fucked up. But, we all do. How about this, you fuck up again, we sack you." Tony grinned holding his hand out and Steve smiled at the honest and real smile coming from the shorter man,

"Deal." He murmured shaking the hand.

 **—LINE BREAK—**

Steve should've read the file when he first received it instead he didn't and consequently caused a chain of bad happenings.

But he learned from his mistake and read the file.

He won't make the same mistake again.

* * *

 **Anyway,**  
 **Thank you for reading,**  
 **Hope you enjoyed this,**  
 **Please review,**  
 **No hate -don't like, don't read**

 **Bye~**


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